gussying up

verb

present participle of gussy up
as in decorating
to make more attractive by adding something that is beautiful or becoming gone are the days when the high school prom was held in the gym, which had been gussied up for the occasion

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for gussying up
  1. decorating
  2. adorning
  3. doing up
  4. draping
Verb
  • For centuries, India’s rulers treasured these precious stones, decorating their palaces, thrones, and crowns with them, and wearing them in lavish displays of wealth and opulence.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Since pattern sandwiching isn’t exactly for decorating wallflowers, color (and lots of it) is welcomed.
    — Kelsey Mulvey, Vogue, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of decorating
Verb
  • Black shirt, black shorts, thin sheen of sweat adorning his expressive forehead.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 26 July 2026
  • Aside from the art adorning the bakeware and towels, Yeh’s lifestyle and personality are also infused into the assortment’s physical design.
    — Claire Hoppe Norgaard, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 July 2026
Definition of adorning
Verb
  • What in the world are those overgrown basketballs doing up there?
    — Rui Bo, The Conversation, 18 May 2026
  • Wednesday’s practice started with some of the players doing up-downs after forgetting equipment.
    — Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2026
Definition of doing up
Verb
  • Cox then walked into frame wearing a light pink bathrobe before draping her dark hair over Aniston’s head.
    — Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 30 July 2026
  • Pogačar would later call this the highlight of his Tour de France — better even than his five stage wins — draping himself in the Mexican flag back at his team bus.
    — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 28 July 2026
Definition of draping
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Gussying up.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/gussying%20up. Accessed 12 Aug. 2026.

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